IAF rescues Spanish trekking team in Nepal

Thirteen Indian mountaineers returned to Kolkata on Tuesday from Nepal. The team was part of a group that went on an expedition to Mount Everest but had to cut short the climb after the April 25 earthquake.(Express Photo by: Subham Dutta)

The IAF has rescued a Spanish team in Nepal which had gone in search of a missing Spanish trekking team following the recent earthquake. On May 4, the Ambassador of Spain to India requested the Task Force Commander, Air Vice Marshal Upkarjit Singh and the Nepalese Army Aviation Authorities to look for missing Spaniards of a trekking team.

A nine-member Spanish rescue team and two sniffer dogs were dropped two days back at Langtang Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) to look for the missing Spanish trekking team.

“In a planned mission Tuesday, a request was given to Mi-17 V5 helicopter crew to pick them from ALG. However, they could not be found there and the crew looked for them in two different locations. The Mi-17 V5 started returning, as the weather was packing up and it started snowing. While returning, Wing Commander Rajiv Dhobal, commanding the helicopter, spotted the team on the trail due to their fluorescent straps and a landing was made on a rough terrain and they were picked up,” said an IAF statement.

The Spanish rescue team would not have survived the night had they not been picked up-the statement said. A planned mission thus became a rescue mission.

The Spanish rescue team has located seven bodies but the same could not be retrieved due to bad weather.

Source:: Indian Express